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Police claimed that amounts ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 30 lakh were charged for photographs taken with Messi.
Satadru Dutta, the organiser of the event (Credits: Facebook)
The investigation into the chaotic Lionel Messi event at Kolkata’s Salt Lake stadium has taken a wider turn after police searched the residence of the chief organiser, Satadru Dutta, and found signs pointing beyond crowd mismanagement to possible financial irregularities. A Special Investigating Team (SIT), probing the incident, conducted a raid at Dutta’s three-story house in Rishra on Friday.
Satadru Dutta, the chief organiser of the Lionel Messi event, who is currently in police custody, had initially issued only 150 entry passes for the ground. However, he claimed that he was forced to increase the number after coming under pressure from certain influential individuals.
Dutta also informed the police that Messi’s security team had clearly warned that the footballer should not be touched in the manner seen during the event. Despite this warning, it was allegedly ignored.
Video footage from the event reportedly shows the Sports Minister pulling Messi, which has now come under scrutiny.
As part of the ongoing investigation, the police have frozen bank accounts belonging to Dutta containing Rs 22 crore. The probe is continuing to examine lapses in planning, security breaches and possible financial irregularities linked to the event.
Officers said the inspection revealed unusual features, including a swimming pool on one level, a football ground on the terrace and a large office space.
A team from the Bidhannagar Police detective department reached the house early on Saturday after visiting the Rishra police station.
Dutta was arrested on December 13, within hours of the disorder that broke out during the Messi event at the Salt Lake stadium.
As the chief organiser, he was held responsible for what police described as “serious lapses in planning and execution” that led to chaos at the venue.
Officials said the SIT is now examining suspected financial irregularities running into nearly Rs 100 crore, allegedly linked to the event.
According to investigators, preliminary findings suggest the involvement of office-bearers of the organising body and its associate organisers in illegal financial dealings, most of which appear to be connected to Messi-related activities.
Police claimed that amounts ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 30 lakh were charged for photographs taken with Messi. However, no official records of these payments have been found so far. Investigators believe the money may have been collected in cash and are treating it as unaccounted income.
The probe has also raised questions about ticket sales. Officers said records for nearly half the tickets sold were missing.
Yuva Bharati stadium has a capacity of around 66,000 seats. While the organisers claimed that only half the tickets were sold and the rest were distributed free, police found this explanation questionable.
Investigators argued that such a move would have resulted in major losses, which they find unlikely for a large commercial sporting event.
December 20, 2025, 16:46 IST
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